Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Inside the royal palace, the lights were on full display.

Several members of the royal family, dressed in black python robes, were gathered around a huge map.

The map marks the locations of hundreds of county seats of the dynasty. Changning County and Pingyuan County have been crossed out with cinnabar, while the location of Jiangning County is pointed to by a finger wearing a jade thumb ring.

"They really went all out for the ancestral hall this time."

The speaker was Li Chong, the current king. He was only in his early thirties, but his face was full of gloom, and his eyes flashed with a calculating light.

An elderly man who looked like a strategist bowed and said:

"My king, with the protection of the ancestral halls in more than thirty counties, as well as the participation of the rituals in the ancestral halls of the capital, that so-called immortal venerable must surely die."

Li Chong sneered upon hearing this; this was exactly the scene he wanted to see.

The young man who appeared in recent days, also known as Immortal Willow and Heavenly Dao Immortal Venerable, whatever his true identity, the willow trees in Shuitian Village are still there.

Now that the two sides are fighting, the royal family can remain unscathed. He is constantly eyeing the legendary willow tree in Shuitian Village that is said to be able to enlighten mortals.

"I heard the ancestral hall has requested more offerings?"

"Yes, the high priest of the ancestral hall has asked for 30% more this year, citing the reason that 'the immortals are angry and we need to double our offerings.'"

The strategist whispered, and Li Chong's eyes were filled with ruthlessness.

"Thirty percent... do those old bastards really think the dynasty is a puppet of their ancestral hall?"

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

A black-clad secret agent knelt outside the hall, his voice trembling, and reported:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, an urgent report from Jiangning County!"

Li Chong frowned. "Speak."

"The 36 guardians of the ancestral hall and the ritual performers were all wiped out!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence. The strategist's teacup shattered on the floor with a "crack," shards of porcelain scattering everywhere.

Li Chong slowly stood up, walked up to the spy, and said, "Say that again?"

"I saw with my own eyes that Jiangning County was originally surrounded and besieged by the ancestral hall, but instead, they were all killed."

At the scene... only a few dozen willow saplings remained, rooted in the blood and gore of the ruins.

As the spy spoke, he took out a special spirit stone from his pocket for taking a picture.

As spiritual energy was injected, the horrific scene he had described immediately appeared on the stone—

On the streets, reduced to ruins by the aftershocks of the battle, rows of verdant willow saplings swayed gently in the moonlight. And where these saplings took root were the bodies of those who had nearly dried up in the ancestral hall…

The final image captured inside the spirit stone was of a young man dressed in a simple Taoist robe.

He stood in the middle of the ruins with his hands behind his back, followed by a child who looked to be about ten years old.

Li Chong stared at the figure, his eyes first filled with shock, then turning into ecstasy.

"What a magnificent Celestial Venerable!"

He turned abruptly and addressed his advisors and ministers:

"The ancestral hall's elite forces have suffered heavy losses. Now is the time to extinguish their initial arrogance. When will we ever get another chance?"

However, the ministers hesitated. They believed that while the ancestral temple's power had indeed been lost, the approaching Heavenly Immortal Venerable posed an even greater threat.

"Your Highness, since that Immortal Venerable was able to kill thirty-six Foundation Establishment cultivators, his strength is probably unfathomable."

These two are now heading towards the capital. I believe it is best to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

Unexpectedly, Li Chong harshly criticized the minister's words, saying:

"No matter how strong this person is, he is ultimately an outsider."

If he really wanted to overthrow the dynasty, or avenge the previous humiliation at Shuitian Village, he should have gone straight to the capital long ago. Why bother going back and forth between county towns?

I believe his intention is to spread the orthodox tradition, and he is unlikely to interfere in the dispute between the royal family and the ancestral hall.

Everyone suddenly realized, "You mean, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits?"

Li Chong nodded silently, his face even more sinister, as he realized that after years of forbearance, he had finally gotten his chance.

"Mobilize the Imperial Guards and surround the ancestral hall tonight. As for the charge... just pick one!"

"yes!"

Meanwhile, at the Wangdu Ancestral Hall.

Inside the magnificent ancestral hall, the statues of the immortals still emitted a faint golden light, but the high priest kneeling before the statues was now deathly pale.

He held in his hand the jade pendant that served as a means of communication between the various counties and the capital's ancestral hall, but it was dull and lifeless, just like his complexion at that moment.

"Thirty-six people... all dead?"

The high priest muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty shrine. Just half a day ago, he had sensed the presence of Yan Gaosong and others through the jade pendant.

Suddenly, all the energy vanished like a candle flame extinguished by the wind, leaving only the deathly silence emanating from the jade pendant.

The high priest suddenly looked up, his eyes blankly staring at the celestial statue.

The essence of the statue was extracted and sent to the Realm of Immortality yesterday. He can no longer establish any contact with the immortals, let alone receive any imperial decree.

At the same time, he couldn't understand why 36 Foundation Establishment cultivators were unable to deal with that unpredictable young man.

He had cultivated for a hundred years, yet he had never seen the strange technique within the image-recording stone, which absorbed a person's life force and cultivation, endlessly replenishing itself...

"Could this person truly be from the Realm of Immortality?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when it was forcibly suppressed by the high priest.

He was the high priest of the royal ancestral temple, the person with the highest status. If even he believed that an immortal had descended to earth, then the immortal ancestral temple, which had been entrenched for thousands of years, would really begin to waver.

He gritted his teeth and got up, about to call someone into the hall, when he heard a commotion outside.

"boom!"

The ancestral hall's doors were suddenly blasted open, and dozens of imperial guards clad in black iron armor rushed in, led by none other than the reigning king, Li Chong.

Besides these nearly one hundred imperial guards, Li Chong was also accompanied by five royal retainers with powerful auras, all of whom were at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"High Priest, it's been a while. How have you been?"

Li Chong spoke with a forced smile, while the imperial guards and retainers behind him were ready to fight him.

The high priest's face darkened. "What is the king's intention in leading his troops into this sacred shrine in the dead of night?"

"What is your intention?"

Li Chong stepped forward slowly, his gaze sweeping steadily across the main hall. Seeing that he was the only person inside, he said:

"I have received a secret report that the High Priest is hoarding offerings from the immortals and intends to use their power to rebel."

"I have come here specifically to search, and I hope the High Priest will not misunderstand. If the information is incorrect, I will certainly hand over the person who made the false report to the shrine for punishment."

His words were so grand and righteous that the high priest was so angry he laughed instead.

"The ancestral hall has been dedicated to the immortals for a thousand years and has never hoarded any offerings. If Your Majesty wishes to make a false accusation, please provide a plausible reason."

At this moment, the high priest unleashed the full pressure of his century-long cultivation, and his powerful aura immediately threw the crowd into chaos.

Li Chong, however, paid no heed. Under the cover of several worshippers beside him, he spoke harshly to the high priest:

"You still know how to call me king?"